Black Widow III: Devil's Night
by Triptych
Summary: Nasty's back! On a remote planet in the Periphery, a murderous cult has arisen with plans to plunge the Inner-Sphere into chaos. Can the new Black Widow stop them? Find out!
1. Part I

This is a fanfiction work based on the Classic BattleTech game owned by WizKids LLC. All rights reserved. If you are interested in knowing the background of several characters in this story, please read my previous short stories Return of the Widow and Beast of Ishiyama located in this category. Enjoy (I hope)!

**Black Widow: Devil's Night**

**By Triptych**

_By the help of devils_

_he has caused many of every nation_

_to speak blasphemies,_

_and to deny that God is the maker of the universe_

_and to assert that some other being greater than He_

_has done greater works._

-Justin Martyr

  When the original colonizers of Erebor set out to settle the untamed lands north of the main continent of Durin many centuries ago, several advanced parties of prospectors never returned. As the seasons passed into years and later on into decades, legends arouse that evil spirits took those lost prospectors. This was due to the fact that a large percentage of the original settlers of Erebor were religious refugees with a strong sense of mysticism. Among the colonials were an obscure Christian sect calling themselves Albigensians. They were branded as heretics due to their belief that good and evil were balanced forces, that two Gods-not one- controlled the universe, that Satan was equivalent to, in conflict with, and as crafty as the Lord. The body-the flesh and therefore reality- was the devil's domain. Only the mind-the spirit- was the path to righteousness and salvation. 

  The Terran Hegemony at that time was attempting to unify the disparate human worlds but in order to reap the benefits of peace and stability; a number of extreme religious groups were exiled to the Periphery. And so it came that a large contingent of Albigensians settled unto the temperate world of Erebor. As the process of colonization was harsh, many of the population ultimately turned away from their intense religious beliefs and the majority of the people that descended from the original colonists ultimately acquired a secular society shortly before they were absorbed into the Rim Worlds Republic, a collection of holdings ruled by the Amaris family.

  In order to preserve their past and culture, many settlers on different worlds began to practice their own forms of customs as well as holidays and the world of Erebor was no exception. On the day after Halloween, the natives of Erebor developed a night of feasting and prayer called "Devil's Night" in order to commemorate those settlers that lost their lives in the initial founding of the colony as well as to drive the evil spirits away. A few fanatical Albigensians branded this occasion as one of the devil's holidays and staged bloody riots across the major cities of the planet before their ringleaders were rounded up by units of the Rim Worlds military and then executed. The sect was destroyed as many of their members were imprisoned and the heresy was outlawed.

  But there were rumors that the heresy survived, that a small group of hardcore fanatics took with them a priceless treasure and settled in the outlying regions in order to grow and one day set things right.

    Over 700 years later, just days before Devil's Night on Erebor, two lovers were running for their lives.

  Kyle Thayer had it all at one point; he was a six-year veteran for the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth, a former officer in the elite 10th Lyran Guards. He was young, good-looking, experienced and lethal. All that came to a crashing end just a few hours before when he was discovered along with his lover Laura Sebastian by the wardens of the temple vaults. Kyle was an upcoming star in the hierarchy of the Covenant, destined to be a leader among the new breed of holy warriors that would bring back the light to drive away the darkness that was the Inner-Sphere. He had done everything right until he committed the most unpardonable sin: he fell in love with the wrong woman.

  "Come on!" Kyle screamed at Laura as she stumbled after him. They were running for hours, stopping only to rest for a short while before Kyle urged them on again.

  Laura did not reply, instead she sank to her knees while letting out short, hurried breaths.

  Kyle was frantic now. "We must keep moving!"

  "Oh Kyle, I can't." She pleaded.

  "If we don't go now, we're both dead!" Kyle screamed.

  That was a mistake. In the far corners of the woods, he heard a twig snap. Quickly drawing his laser pistol from his hip holster, Kyle scanned for targets as Laura opened her eyes in wide astonishment.

  "Kyle!" Laura screamed and pointed to his left flank.

  Kyle pivoted to bring his pistol to bear but it was too late. An expertly thrown knife sliced into his right arm and he dropped the laser. As he tried to scramble for the weapon on the forest floor his left ankle was shot out from under him and he fell to the ground, a few feet away from his pistol.

  "Laura, honey; give me the gun." Kyle pleaded. It was apparent that he was in obvious pain.

  "I-I can't!" Laura burst into tears as she slowly began to back off to the edge of the woods.

  "Please! If you don't we're dead!" He gasped.

  Laura could not take it anymore, her lover cut down in front of her, beseeching like a cornered, desperate animal. She did what her instincts told her. She ran the other way, into the woods.

  As Kyle slowly crawled his way to reach for his pistol, they converged on him. He saw their shadows looming over him as he tried one last grab for his pistol, only to have his hand impaled to the dirt floor by another throwing knife. He cursed, but did not cry out in pain, as if not to let his tormentors have the final laugh.

  But a gangly, spiked-haired youth laughed anyway until he was cut off by a grotesque, enormously overweight man dressed in velvet robes.

  "Now, now Erik, you must not laugh at the poor sinner, if anything you should feel pity for him." The man in velvet twiddled his fat hands.

  "I'm sorry, father." The youth said.

  "Father?" The corpulent man yelled so hard that the men surrounding him fell silent.

  "Deacon." Erik grimaced as he corrected himself. Soon he would not have to put up with this he thought.

  "That's better. Now be a kind lad and go after your sister. She must not get away." The fat hands snapped fingers that could barely go in tandem.

  As Erik scampered away to find his sister, a smaller man with sharp oriental features drew forward. He was dressed almost entirely in black; his wiry movements revealing that here was a man accustomed to dealing in death. Even the other men in the group, although more heavily armed than he was, drew back out of sheer respect and fear.

  Kyle's bloodshot eyes looked up and narrowed in a final show of defiance as the small man in black tore off his throwing knife from Kyle's arm, cleaned it and stowed it back into the folds of his clothing. 

  "Damn you to hell Yao." Kyle tried to spit out his last words as the small man got on top of him and twisted his neck so hard it snapped in two. Kyle gurgled, then died.

  "Well done Yao. You have proven tonight that you shall be my general leading our victorious armies back into the decadent Inner-Sphere." The Deacon said as a matter-of-fact.

  Yao bowed. "You are too kind Deacon."

  A short while later, Erik returned, carrying a scrap of cloth. The Deacon quickly turned to face his son.

  "Well, is she dead?" The Deacon asked.

  "I believe so Deacon." Erik smiled.

  "What do you mean you believe so?"  The Deacon's immensely fat figure bellowed like a beached whale.

  "I-I shot her, and she fell off the cliff. I tried to grab onto her so that I could take the scarab away from her but it was too late. She fell." Erik's eyes were downcast. He hated to disappoint his father in front of the men.

  The curse from the fat Deacon made everyone except Yao shudder. "No! Damn you! I want everyone to search the beaches, search the ocean if you have to! But I want that scarab! Even if you have to go deep into the depths of hell to find it!"

  As the group split up, the majority spreading out to find what was so precious to the Deacon, Yao readjusted his clothes so that his bone-white death's head pin would show more prominently on his collar. After all, he wanted to know what his enemies were up against before they die.


	2. Part II

  Ask most people and they will tell you that a morning run of five miles every day would not be ideal during a vacation. Natasha Kerensky on the other hand, shouldn't be considered a typical person. Natasha was a clone of the original Black Widow, created by the Bounty Hunter to serve as part of his genetically engineered army with which to raise war against both the Inner-Sphere and the Clans of Kerensky. She had spent the early part of her life training to become the ultimate killing machine. After having killed hundreds of slave fighters in the hidden bases of the Bounty Hunter, Natasha was set free only to be tested once again. By then she was literally hunted by the forces of her creator, using her skills just to survive. But after making friends and allies among various mercenaries, Natasha was able to break free of the Bounty Hunter's control and with the help of her new friends, destroyed his cloning vats. It was a setback that her creator would not take lightly and Natasha dreaded the day when they would meet for one final battle.

  But all that was at the back of Natasha's mind as she experienced her runner's high, the feeling that some long distance runners get when they get past the threshold of pain and enter into a state of wanton bliss. As the salty wind from the beach whipped at her fiery red hair, Natasha sprinted on her way back to the tent that she and her wards had set up along the beach. It was the second week of their vacation; she had specifically chosen the distant Periphery world of Erebor because of its sparse population and its far proximity from any war that was constantly engulfing the Inner-Sphere. Having just dealt with the Beast of Ishiyama a few months back, the Black Widow felt that she needed the rest.

  As Natasha rounded a corner of the beach she was running on, she could see from a distance that Duncan had already woken up and was making sandcastles on the seashore. Natasha smiled because she knew that the eight-year old blond-haired Duncan was a growing boy and he would be demanding a hearty breakfast quite soon. She needed to break out the portable burners and get it going. Duncan's older brother Kieran McGavin had taken the jeep to go exploring the surrounding forest and would probably be back by midday.

  The McGavin brothers had been orphans in the gaming world of Solaris VII when Natasha found them after the Beast that had inhabited Ishiyama Arena in Solaris City killed their older sister. Kieran and Duncan were also the grandsons of the legendary Lloyd McGavin, the founder of the Draconis Combine's elite Nightstalker regiments. As the months passed, they became almost like a surrogate family, Kieran helped Natasha's career in the Solaris mech pits as a battlemech technician while little Duncan remained both a thorn and blessing in Natasha's side, always annoying even as the Black Widow began to grow fond of him.

  As Natasha got to within several meters of the boy, Duncan quickly saw her and waved. "Nasty! I'm hungry!"

  "Breakfast is coming up, Duncan." Natasha cheerfully replied as she grabbed a towel from the tent to wipe the sweat from her forehead. It was hard work taking care of the little blond tyke but she was so fond of him now that she didn't care.

  As they both finished up breakfast and washed the plastic plates, Kieran's jeep pulled up on top of the sand dune behind their tent. Duncan quickly ran up and hugged Kieran as he got out of the jeep. Natasha came up alongside and was surprised to see a weather-beaten old man snoring on the vehicle's front seat.

  "Who is this?" Natasha asked.

  "Oh that's Ethan Lafitte. He's a prospector wandering in these parts. I brought him over because he saved my life." Kieran shrugged.

  Natasha's left eyebrow raised a fraction. "Saved your life? How?"

  "Well, I was taking the jeep for a leisurely drive and then I came upon a ruined metropolis. You wouldn't believe it Nasty, a whole ancient city just standing there! It looked like it was abandoned centuries ago. I drove the jeep forward so that I could enter it through the main road but Ethan just leaped out of nowhere, startling me!" Kieran explained.

  "Go on."

  "You see; he saved my life because he quickly told me that the ruined city was actually planted full of vibramines and if I drove the jeep down there I probably would have been blown sky high!" Kieran exclaimed.

  "Is this guy dead?" Duncan pinched the old man's nose shut so that his mouth opened up with a loud snore in order to keep breathing.

  "Duncan! Stop that." Natasha scolded the boy.

  The noises the three made apparently woke the old man. "Whu?"

  "Ethan, meet my good friend Nasty Kerensky." Kieran said to the waking old man.

  "Well now, I'll be darned! You look just like the Black Widow! A much younger version anyway." Ethan exclaimed as he fiddled with his gray beard while looking intensely at Natasha.

  The Black Widow couldn't suppress a smile. "Quite a number of people said that. Nice to meet you Ethan; I would like to thank you for saving my friend's life."

  "And I'm Duncan, Kieran's brother." Duncan offered his little hand for a shake in which the old man gladly reciprocated.

  "Don't think I wasn't aware of what you were doing, young feller." Ethan winked at the little boy.

  Duncan yelped and ran back to the beach.

  As Kieran grabbed some scuba-gear to do some spear fishing in order to catch lunch, Natasha brewed a cup of coffee for the old man that was eagerly accepted. Duncan grabbed his little diving mask with snorkel and quickly dove into the water to catch up with Kieran as the two remaining people on the beach began a conversation in order to get to know each other.

  Natasha learned that Ethan Lafitte was a former soldier of the AFFC, having been in numerous campaigns and only retired seven years ago. Starting out as a lowly mechwarrior, Ethan served with distinction during the Clan invasion that he was ultimately promoted to company commander. Injuries permanently sidelined his career as a mechwarrior but Ethan would not retire, he felt that he could still contribute even on an indirect basis. So he hit the books and became a master technician, helping to service battlemechs and learning all he could about Clan technology. Ethan's dual skills and experience catapulted him to become one of the senior techs of the rebuilt Star League Defense Forces and participated in their campaign to destroy the Smoke Jaguar Clan during Operation Bulldog. After the success of that operation, Ethan Lafitte finally decided to retire; he had had enough of war. At that juncture in time, Ethan could have lived a life of comfort; his service to the Star League had earned him a title as well as a country estate. But the call of adventure still beckoned him and he therefore decided to sell his landholdings and live the rest of his life as a prospector, looking for lost riches out in the frontier worlds of the Periphery.

  "And so there you have it. I came to this planet a few years ago because it was quiet, serene and I have also heard rumors about some treasure out here." The old man chuckled over a plate of roasted fish. Kieran had caught several and all were enjoying a hearty lunch as well as listening to Ethan's stories.

  "What kind of treasure?" Duncan's bottle-green eyes quickly became alive at the sound of lost riches.

  "Well laddie, I had heard that religious fanatics a long, long time ago buried some priceless relic out here. If anyone finds it, it could be worth hundreds of millions in C-Bills." Ethan winked at the little boy.

  "Ethan, what about that ruined metropolis that you were looking at? What's the history behind it?" Natasha queried.

  "Well lady, I can tell you that the city you are referring to was once known as Moria, the capital city of Erebor. During the time of the Rim Worlds Republic she was a thriving center of trade and commerce. Had a wonderful park of ancient trees imported from Terra herself they said." Ethan explained.

  "What happened? How did it become so barren and lifeless?" Kieran asked.

  "Alas, as with all other reasons in this accursed Inner-Sphere, it was because of war. When Stefan Amaris murdered the young emperor of the first Star League, all hell broke loose. Erebor was a planet that had belonged to the Rim Worlds Republic. When the SLDF heard of the atrocities committed by the forces of House Amaris, they attacked and occupied all the worlds of the Republic. Erebor was a special prize because of its germanium mines and heavy industry." Ethan continued.

  Both Natasha and Kieran listened in rapt silence. Duncan began to fidget in the sand because history didn't interest him too much; like all kids he wanted to go and play along the beach.

  The old man went on. "But the population of Erebor was staunchly defiant. Amaris had tolerated their extreme religious views and so therefore had earned the loyalty of the planet's citizens. Guerilla groups began to get organized and the SLDF forces stationed on the planet began to take massive casualties from the increasingly fanatical attacks made against them. In 2772, the entire planet rose up in revolt, mauling the SLDF garrison units stationed here at that time. Finally, SLDF high command ordered an entire battlemech regiment stationed on the planet with orders to quell the uprising at all costs."

  It was all too complicated for Duncan, so he got up and ran off towards the seashore to play.

  Ethan didn't seem to notice he had one less listener. "Well I'm sure you both know that mechs aren't very good in quelling riots or facing urban guerillas. That's what the local resistance did; they fortified key cities like Moria and every available man was equipped with everything from Inferno missiles to Molotov cocktails. The resistance had a good plan, they hid out among the civilian population and fought using guerilla tactics, if they were faced with a less determined enemy, they would have succeeded in repelling the SLDF."

  "But what happened?" Asked Natasha.

  "The SLDF quickly branded the entire planetary population as terrorists and gave them no mercy. It took almost a year but the rebellion was crushed, the citizens took massive casualties and the survivors were exiled to other worlds. But the SLDF wasn't finished, they saw that the resistance had tortured SLDF prisoners before they killed them and so the vengeful soldiers of the Star League exacted a brutal revenge on the cities of Erebor. Like that of the Ancient Romans, who after the victory over Carthage sowed that city with salt to make it uninhabitable; the SLDF exiled all the survivors and sowed cities like Moria with booby-traps like vibramines as well as sprayed chemical weapons on its streets to prevent plants and animals from ever growing there again." Ethan explained.

  "Gosh. I never read about this in the history books." Kieran observed.

  "That's cause history is written by the victors, boy. But lemme tells you, atrocities happen on both sides in every war men have ever fought. Some tragedies like Kentares get written into the history books; others like Moria do not. It's just the way the galaxy is I guess. God knows I've seen enough death and destruction in my time." Ethan sighed.

  "But it does seem that civilization is coming back, more and more tourists come here now as the years pass. There's a bustling town with a small starport called Rivendell about a hundred kilometers south. That's how we got here." Natasha added.

  "Yes you're right. Looks like life is beginning to return to normal here. Will take some time though. In the meanwhile, you youngsters best avoid the cities of the dead like Moria." The old man answered.

  At that very moment, a shrill yelp was heard along the beach. All three heads turned in unison.

  "That was Duncan!" Natasha exclaimed as she got up.

  All three quickly ran to the edge of a copse of trees to where the sound came from. Because of her natural swiftness and excellent conditioning, Natasha got there first. What she saw was that Duncan seemed to be staring at a form that had apparently washed up along the seashore and got tangled up in the roots of a tree. The boy was scared and shaking uncontrollably. Natasha quickly got the boy over to her side and hugged him for comfort as Kieran and Ethan got to the scene.

  "It's a dead body." Duncan whimpered as Kieran led him away.

  Natasha quickly knelt down to get a closer look. It was a body of a woman, her black hair covered her face like a slimy veil; she seemed to have been dressed in a black robe which by now was partly torn and caked with salt from the ocean. As Natasha checked for any external signs of death, she did notice a gaping whole on the shoulder of the corpse. The cauterized wound suggested an energy weapon; probably a laser did it. Clear, salty liquid still oozed from the corpse's mouth and seemed to indicate that she met her fate while drowning. But what was strange was as Natasha looked at the dead woman's hands, she could see that the corpse was still grasping something in her left hand. When Natasha pried open the corpse's pale white fingers, a metallic scarab fell out onto the sand.

  It was as if even though the deceased knew she was going to die, she still held onto the scarab with her last ounce of strength. As if it meant more to her than life itself. 


	3. Part III

  It was a grisly task but one that needed to be done; after wrapping the corpse in a waterproof tarpaulin, Ethan, Natasha and Kieran loaded the body onto the back of the jeep. Duncan played at the other end of the beach, although the boy had somewhat of a fright upon discovering the remains of the woman, he recovered quickly and put the unsettling incident at the back of his mind. 

  Natasha could see that the little boy was strong in both mind and spirit; she hoped that this incident would be the last shock for him for the rest of their vacation. She desperately wanted them all to have this time of peace and tranquility, but already the dangers of the universe had once again intruded on their serene holiday. It was almost as if the hand of fate plucked them away from a state of temporary bliss and once again thrust them into a world of peril and dread. But whatever the case, it seemed as if everyone present had experienced it before, as old senses, accustomed to the trade of war and death, began once again to seep into their minds. Ethan, who was a veteran of many wars, worked silently but competently in wrapping the corpse in its watertight seal while Kieran distracted his little brother Duncan enough to make the boy forget about the gravity of the situation. Natasha smiled; she had a deep feeling that whatever perils they faced, her allies combined with her deadly skills and experience would get them through. What concerned her however, was the potential cost.

  As the afternoon wore on, Natasha and Ethan both carefully examined the scarab that they had found in the dead woman's grasp. At first glance it seemed to be nothing more than a palm sized, beetle-shaped amulet. Made of pure gold, it seemed to be quite valuable though both doubted that the reason why the woman was killed was nothing more than a simple case of robbery.

  "What exactly is it?" Natasha asked the old prospector as he was examining the scarab.

  Ethan rubbed at the charm. "It's an ancient Egyptian amulet called a scarab."

  "A scarab? Since you've been a prospector that would mean that you do have a background as far as history and archaeology goes. Does it have a religious significance?"

  "Yes, the Egyptians regarded it as sacred. They considered it a talisman and as a symbol for the soul." Ethan replied.

  "The woman was wearing pieces of a black robe as well." Natasha observed.

  "Yes, I noticed that too. It's possible she might have been part of a religious group. Possibly a high priestess."

  "Are there any religious groups of significance here?"

  "Well, the years that I have been here, due to the religious history of this planet, a few crazy cults pop up every now and then. But I never heard of any of them getting involved in murder before."

  "When you mix mysticism and power, anything is bound to happen." Natasha mused.

  "Yes, I guess you're right. But I've never heard of any problems with these cults and the law until the rise of the Covenant."

  "The Covenant? Who are they?" The Black Widow queried.

  "The Covenant of the Void. A few years ago, they were just another fringe religious group. Then all of a sudden, they gained a new leader who calls himself the Deacon and their movement spread like wildfire all across the planet. A sizable number of the prospectors and miners of this area recently converted into their religion."

  "What sort of religion does this Covenant of the Void espouse?" Natasha asked.

  "A sort of Christian offshoot of Gnosticism. Gnostics believe in not one all-powerful god but rather two. One is considered the false god and the other is considered the true, benevolent god. Both are supposedly equal in power; the false god spreads lies and deceit while the one path to salvation is discovering the one true god. Gnostics were believed to have been wiped out by the Roman Catholic Church during Earth's dark ages." Ethan explained.

  "Hmmm.. A religion of heretical Christians. How did this cult grow so fast as compared to previous ones?"

  "No one really knows. They now seem to have erected temples all over the place. I even heard they plan to send missionaries on to the Inner-Sphere as soon as they get big enough. To supposedly teach us pagans the true path to salvation; whatever that means." Ethan scoffed as he kept fiddling with the scarab.

  "But what is the connection between Gnostics and an Egyptian talisman?" Natasha wondered aloud.

  "Hell if I know." Ethan answered as the scarab he was rubbing made a loud click.

  The old prospector got so surprised that he dropped the amulet. As the scarab dropped to the ground it split in half and a rolled parchment came out. Ethan had apparently opened a secret latch on the talisman that revealed its previously hidden contents.

  Natasha picked up the rolled parchment along with the pieces of the scarab.

   "There was something inside of it." The Black Widow said as a matter of fact.

  "Well I'll be darned. So that was what the dead lady was protecting all along." Ethan added.

  Natasha unrolled the parchment and looked at it. Written on the parchment were strange glyphs that seemed to have been transcribed from some ancient language. There was also a small drawing of a muscular man wrestling a bull. Ethan peered over her shoulder as she tried to fathom what it all meant.

  "I can't seem to read the writings." Natasha said.

  Ethan pointed at the drawing of the man and the bull. "The symbol, I know it. It's the symbol of Mithras."

  "Mithras? Who is that?" Natasha asked.

  "Mithras was worshipped as the god of the sun during the times of the ancient Romans. He later became the symbol of the Gnostic faith. Namely the Albigensians."

  "Is there some way we could translate these writings?" Natasha asked.

  "Well the nearby town has got an archaeological society. We could get into their languages database and try to find out." Ethan answered.

  "Okay, then we better get going. Kieran! Duncan!" Natasha called out.

  It was now a matter of necessity that they venture out into the nearby town. They needed to alert the local authorities about the murder and second, they also needed to get the writings on the parchment translated. Natasha told the others to keep quiet about the contents of the scarab as they put it back together. The Black Widow placed the parchment into her vest pocket as she also put on her hip holster that carried her pistol; her knife was in a boot sheath.

  "Kieran, you and Duncan stay here. Ethan and I should be back by dinner." Natasha told her ward as she slipped into the jeep's driver seat.

  "No problem Nasty. Just don't be gone too long okay?" Kieran said.

  "Don't worry, I don't want us separated for long, but we have to report this." Natasha answered as she started the jeep's ignition.

  "I understand. We ought to be safe here. No one knows about us anyway." Kieran counseled.

  "Nasty, can I ask a favor?" Duncan said as he leaned over to give the Black Widow a kiss.

  "Sure Duncan, what is it?" Natasha asked.

  "Could you get me a can of root beer? We're completely out of it." The little blond boy smiled.

  "No problem, just stay out of trouble okay?" Natasha answered back as Duncan made a sarcastic smile.

  "Don't worry about us Nasty. Get going." Kieran said as he grabbed the little boy's tanned shoulders.

  "See you guys in a bit." Natasha shouted as she shifted to first gear and got the jeep going. Both brothers waved as the Black Widow and Ethan drove along the dirt road and out of sight. 


	4. Part IV

  It took about two hours for Natasha and Ethan to get to the outskirts of the nearby trading town of Rivendell. Like many areas of the planet, Rivendell was fast becoming a center for trade as well as a stopping point for tourists and prospectors on their way to the more remote regions of the planet. As the jeep approached the outskirts of the town, Natasha noticed a massively walled cluster of buildings that seemed to have been recently constructed.

  The Black Widow stopped the jeep so that she could observe the structure. The numerous buildings themselves seemed to have been recently built and they were elaborate pieces of architecture, their style mimicked medieval European monasteries. However, Natasha did notice a few refinements that made her feel that there was more to the compound than met the eye.

  "What is this place? It seems to have the size and functionality of a government palace." Natasha observed.

  "You're looking at the official headquarters of the Covenant of the Void." Ethan answered.

  The Black Widow stared at several guard posts that ringed the walls. "Looks like the whole compound is more than just a big temple; some buildings that I can see from this vantage point look like barracks and hangars."

  "You may be right. I think there is more to this Covenant than meets the eye."

  "We shall soon see." Natasha shifted gears and drove on.

  As they finally got to the town proper, Natasha could see that Rivendell was nothing more than a collection of rustic shacks and refurbished buildings. It was in stark contrast to the more elaborate citadel of the Covenant. The first stop they made was to the local marshal's office. As Natasha pulled up in front, she noticed that it seemed to be nothing more than a one-room log cabin. She could barely hide her disappointment.

  As Natasha and Ethan strode through the door, they were greeted by a most ridiculous sight as a man wearing a red and yellow clown suit got up from a front desk and said hi. Natasha gave a quizzical glance at Ethan's direction.

  "Hello. I'm Marshall Mathers, Rivendell police. Can I help you?" The man in the clown suit asked.

  "I'm Natasha and this is my friend Ethan. We'd like to report a murder." The Black Widow replied.

  "A murder? On Hallow's Eve? Gosh, that's definitely a first!" The Marshal said.

  "Excuse me Marshal, can I ask why are you wearing a clown suit?" Ethan asked.

  "It's going to be a Halloween celebration tonight. The whole town is set for a party." The Marshal answered.

  "Well this might change your personal plans somewhat." Natasha added.

  After the body was placed in the doctor's clinic next door, Natasha gave a disappointed look at Ethan who nodded in assent. It didn't look like the law was going to be doing anything about this crime. In fact, Natasha hoped that it wouldn't be covered up for the sake of the tourist industry. The Marshal thanked them for reporting the crime and said that they would handle the investigation.

  "Well, we did our best, might as well leave it to them for now." Natasha sighed as she and Ethan walked out of the police office.

  "Yeah, well its not our job anyway. Now what do we do?" Ethan asked.

  Natasha smiled as she handed the parchment over to Ethan. "I'll drop you off at the archaeological society so you can decipher this. I'll pick you up in an hour."

  "Nasty, we were supposed to turn all the evidence over to the authorities."

  "Do you honestly think they will do anything about it? Check it out. Then we make our decision on whether to tell the authorities everything or not." Natasha said as she pocketed the now empty scarab.

  Ethan pursed his lips. "Okay, I agree. What are you planning to do?"

  "Grab some supplies and buy Duncan his root beer." The Black Widow answered. 

  After loading up on some supplies from the general store, Natasha was disappointed that the storekeeper had run out of root beer. Not wishing to let down her little ward, she strode in next door to the local cantina. As she came through the waist high doors, she immediately regretted it.

  The cantina was full of rowdy prospectors and drunken tourists eager to bring on the holiday spirit and revelry of Halloween. The smoke filled haze of tobacco smoke and alcohol was staggering. As she threaded her way towards the bar hoping she could get a can of root beer and depart quickly, someone placed a gloved hand on her shoulder. Natasha turned.

  The hand belonged to tall man with slick black hair and a pencil-thin mustache. He was dressed in a long black trench coat that partially hid his flamboyant red tunic and knee-high boots. He seemed to be dressed rather extravagantly to be a prospector. Nevertheless, Natasha looked at his hand as if there was a bird dropping on her shoulder. The man removed it and smiled.

  "My my. You are a sight for sore eyes lady. I haven't seen a good looking woman in these parts in a long, long time." The man said in a soothing baritone.

  "I guess you don't go out much." Natasha answered as she kept walking towards the bar.

  "But I do. No woman has ever stood up to my charms. My name is Jimmy but all the girls who see me once call me Casanova. By tonight I'm sure you will call me that too." The man gave a wicked grin.

  "That has got to be the worst pickup line I ever heard. Now please get lost." Natasha kept walking. She didn't want trouble but she also did not want to look weak. Already there were others that were taking a notice to her.

  "Unless you've got a man with you in this cantina sweetheart, I'd leave ASAP." Casanova said in response as she turned her back on him.

  As Natasha finally got to the edge of the bar, she called out to the bartender. "Excuse me."

  A scruffy-looking old man came over and leaned over the bar to hear her. "Yeah, what ya want?"

  "A can of root beer please." Natasha said as another, rougher-looking hand placed itself on her shoulder. She turned and ended up face to face with a drunken prospector.

  "Hey lady, you are beautiful. How about coming over to my place tonight?" The smell of alcohol was clearly in his breath.

  "No. Now take your hand off before you lose it." Natasha said.

  "Lady, it wasn't a request." The drunken prospector's eyes flashed an impulse of violence that the Black Widow instantly detected.

  Natasha knew that the drunk was primed for a confrontation and if she faltered, his friends that were leering beside him might overwhelm her. With blinding speed, she twisted the man's arm away with such force that he cried out and quickly threw him over her shoulder. The drunk smashed into a wooden table that was occupied by four gamblers who got up in a fit of rage over their ruined game. The music stopped and so did the revelry. All eyes were on her now.

  "Nobody does that to my friend." Another drunk took a menacing step forward towards Natasha.

  The Black Widow reacted just as she was conditioned to; she quickly made a kick to the man's forward kneecap and quickly followed with a hail of devastating blows from her fists and elbows to his shocked face as she closed in. A split second later, the second man dropped to the ground, bleeding and unconscious. A few gasps and some cheers came from the crowd.

  A series of loud claps came from Casanova. "Bravo! Tough and beautiful. Now here is a woman after my own heart."

  Natasha did not want to take on the entire crowd so she began to make her way out. The drunk who fell on the table got up and ran towards her while unsheathing his knife. His rage and drunkenness fueled a murderous desire as he lunged at her with the blade. Natasha leaped back, feeling the knife snick across her lapel. Heat rushed through her body. Her nerve ends quickened in response to a scalding spurt of adrenaline. It seemed that the drunk knew how to handle a knife as he danced around, hoping to catch her in a vulnerable position. In a blur, he slashed again.

  The Black Widow slammed the knife away and plowed the heel of her palm against the man's nostrils, feeling the cartilage crack. Although the blow was wicked, it wasn't fatal; it would be so excruciatingly painful that it would stun him for a few seconds at least. Natasha took advantage, delivering a rapid sequence of forceful punches and hammer blows- to the diaphragm, under the jaw and across the bridge of the man's nose. 

  The drunk went down.

  Casanova watched in amazement. He almost intervened on the woman's behalf, but a strange feeling came over him and from watching her precise movements he knew instantly that here was a lady that should not be trifled with. She had an uncanny resemblance to the legendary Black Widow but he wasn't so sure. Whatever the case, she intrigued him.

  Just as Natasha got to the exit, one of the gamblers whose table she had wrecked pulled out a pistol to shoot her from behind. Natasha whirled when she heard the click of the hammer, hoping she could make the first shot miss while bringing her own pistol into play. But as she scanned in that direction she was surprised to see the gambler dangle his gun in surrender as the massive barrel of a Sternsnacht heavy pistol embedded itself on her adversary's neck. 

  It was Casanova who aimed the huge pistol at the gambler's neck. "I like her. So do me a favor. If you want to stay alive tonight, drop your gun."

  The gambler did. Casanova laughed as he drunkenly staggered forward and blew a kiss at Natasha with his free hand.

  "Thanks." The Black Widow said.

  "Don't forget this." Casanova leaned over the bar and threw a can of root beer that she instantly caught.

  "Thanks again. I guess you'd better get going as well." Natasha added as she walked out.

  "Don't you worry about me babe, I can handle myself." Casanova burped out an alcohol-filled haze.

  "You're so drunk I bet you're even seeing me double." The enraged gambler snarled as he drew his own knife.

  But the gambler was horrified as Casanova pulled out a second Sternsnacht heavy pistol from the folds of his coat. "That's why I've got two guns. One for each of you."

  The gambler dropped the knife as well. Natasha suppressed a grin as she got back to her jeep and started the ignition. The Black Widow had a feeling that she was going to see that Casanova character again.

  Meanwhile, Several hundred kilometers away, along Erebor's many coastlines, little Duncan stared at the waning sun as he waded along the warm surf. A few hours had passed since Ethan and Natasha took off to deliver the body of the woman to the authorities. He had hoped that Natasha would come back soon and that the situation would be resolved so that they could get back with their holiday. Duncan's school term would start again in a few weeks and he had hoped to be here awhile longer to enjoy the sun and the warm waters. But then he discovered the body and now they might have to go back home again. The little boy frowned as he thought that it would be such a waste to have to go home now.

  As he started wading back towards the campsite to where his older brother Kieran was, he noticed something on the water's horizon. It seemed to be a black speedboat and there were men with black robes riding on it. They were apparently trawling for something out on the surf. Duncan stopped and placed his hand over his green eyes as he squinted passed the dying rays of the sun in order to get a closer look.

  "Duncan, Come on back!" Kieran called out from the campsite, waving at his younger brother to get back there.

  As Duncan turned around to acknowledge his older brother, two black-clad divers surfaced from beneath the water beside him and grabbed the little boy. Duncan cried out for help as the divers began to haul him towards the approaching speedboat.

  "Duncan!" Kieran screamed. The little boy was several hundred meters away and he would not get to him in time to stop those men from taking the boy.

  Kieran quickly ran into the tent and grabbed a rifle that he had prepared earlier on in the afternoon in case there would be trouble. As he leapt out of the tent hoping he could get a clear shot at the men who were kidnapping his brother, Kieran was immediately tripped over by a short oriental man dressed in black who then kicked his rifle away and thrust an open palm onto his exposed throat.

  Kieran wheezed as he fell onto the sand. The oriental man towered over him as the pain in his throat became even more intense. He began to choke.

  "The boy is ours, you tell your friends that we will exchange him for the scarab." The oriental man said, placing a hand-held communicator beside him. "We know you have it. Either return what was ours or you will never see him again."

  As Kieran finally blacked out from the pain, the only other thing he could remember was the bone-white death's head pin on the side of the oriental man's collar.****


	5. Part V

  Duncan McGavin always had a sense of humor. Despite just being eight years of age, he tended to look at the brighter side when bad stuff would happen. Take yesterday for example. First, as he played along on the beach he found the body of a dead woman. Secondly, as his guardian Natasha Kerensky left with to take the body to the police, he got kidnapped right on the beach. He tried to fight them off but his little arms and legs could only do so much against big, bad grownups. They didn't really hurt him, just grabbed him and held him tight enough so he would be unable to get away. In fact they were quite gentle compared to the bullies he would stand up to at school. Another thing that struck him was how funny looking they all were, they acted so strange and they wore long black robes that covered most of their body. Duncan thought they just looked real corny, real stupid. With the way they shuffled around and always trying to please the big fat man who seemed to be their leader, he guessed that they weren't so tough at all.

  But there was one among them that scared him somewhat. When they brought Duncan into their temple and gave him some clothes to wear that were too big for him to fit in, an oriental man dressed in black, the only one not wearing robes, came to offer him some food and water. Unlike the other adults in robes, Duncan noticed that this man carried himself differently. It was almost as if he didn't belong with the rest of these clowns. The oriental man seemed shorter than the other grownups but yet he seemed tougher. Duncan could just see it in his eyes; they had that cold, faraway look. The same look that he saw sometimes with Natasha when she got real angry. Duncan knew that Natasha was the toughest girl he had ever met and in that sense she and the man in black were very similar. That was what frightened him.

  As the night wore on, while Duncan was tearing off the excess part of his oversized pants so that he could fit in them, the oriental man came into his room. As the little boy buttoned up his pants and looked up at him, the man offered a chocolate bar.

  "Thanks." Duncan said as he tore off the wrapper and munched greedily.

  The oriental man smirked. "You are welcome. I noticed you did not eat much dinner and so perhaps this may quell the rumblings in your stomach."

  "So when are you gonna let me go?" Duncan asked as he finished off the candy.

  "You should see your mother by tomorrow boy. We only took you because we needed something that she has. Do not worry; you won't be hurt. You have my word of honor."

  "She isn't my mom." The little boy answered.

  "Oh? Your sister perhaps?"

  "Nope."

  The man was curious now. "I see. An aunt perhaps?"

  "Bzzt. Wrong again slowpoke." Duncan teased.

  The man laughed. "You remind me of my son."

  "Oh really? Where is he?" Duncan asked.

  It was then that the man became serious. "He is dead."

  "Oh. Sorry mister." Duncan looked down.

  "That is alright. I like to think that he is in a better place now." The man sighed quizzically.

  It was then that Duncan decided to change the subject. "My name is Duncan McGavin. What's yours?"

  "You can call me Yao."

  "Nice to meet you Mister Yao. Say, what's that skull pin on your collar?"

  "It is the insignia of my former unit. The Death Commandos."

  Duncan's eyes lit up. "Hey I heard of them, they're with the Cappies right?"

  "Yes. Look, I have to go now. Get some rest. " Yao began to move towards the guarded door.

  "Hey mister. You know, I just wanna tell you that you ain't like the other kooks in this place. You know, I don't think you even have to be here. Why don't you just leave?" Duncan said.

  Yao stopped cold. Then turned around slowly to face the boy. "You are a very perceptive lad. But please don't bring that up again. I belong here. When I lost my family during the war, I had nothing. It was the Deacon who brought me back from the land of the dead and I owe him everything- including my life."

  Duncan didn't answer. He thought that maybe this man would help him. He was wrong and he started to cry.

  Yao leaned over and gave him his own handkerchief. "Do not worry little one. I promise you that whatever happens, no harm will come to you. Get some rest, you will see your family again by tomorrow."

  Duncan smiled somewhat and said thanks. Yao opened the door and got out. He had broken one of the rules in regards to prisoners- never develop a bond between them and you. He cursed at himself for his weakness. As he bolted the door behind him, Yao turned and noticed that the Deacon's son Erik was leaning against the opposite wall of the corridor.

  "My, my. That was touching. You are actually bonding with a prisoner." Erik giggled as he played with his serrated knife.

  Yao held his temper in check- just barely. "Don't patronize me. I was merely assuring the boy that he would see his family soon."

  "Oh no he won't. Once we get the scarab, I will slice him from end to end along with his friends. I never killed a child before, but I guess this will be my chance." Erik laughed as he made a slashing move with his blade.

  In a split second, Erik's knife clattered along the stone floor of the corridor as Yao kicked it away from his hand. The spike-haired youth tried to pull out his laser pistol from his holster but he was quickly pinned to the corridor wall, his hand twisted in a painful grip of steel, ready to be broken by the former Death Commando.

  "I am loyal to the Covenant. But not to you." Yao hissed in his ear.

  "You fool." Erik choked out his words. "I am the Covenant."

  "The Deacon is the leader of the Covenant. Not you." Yao threw the young man down onto the floor and walked away.

  Erik thought about drawing his pistol but thought better of it. He would bide his time until the moment was perfect. "My father will pass the reigns of the Covenant on to me sooner or later! And then we shall see who leads!" 

  The spiky haired youth pulled himself up. _Soon,_ Erik thought. _Soon, I will take over this order and I will kill that Capellan fool_.

  As the heir of the Deacon walked away in order to plot his ascendancy, a different sort of plot was brewing a few hundred kilometers north at the coast of Erebor. By this time the rules of the exchange were negotiated between the Covenant and the Black Widow. It was to be held on the very next day in an abandoned industrial park several miles from the outskirts of Rivendell.

  Between the three of them, no one said a word after the negotiations. It was if they knew that any sort of failure could mean the death of someone they so dearly loved. Ethan did not say a word since their return; he sat close to the bonfire, gently stoking it to keep it burning. Kieran had recovered and the pain in his throat settled into a dull throb that made him cough now and then; he had been in tears since recalling the story of Duncan's abduction to the other two. The only time Natasha did say anything was when she consoled Kieran, telling him that it wasn't his fault. When the Deacon spoke to hear on the communicator, all she did was acknowledge that the exchange would be made.

  It was Kieran who broke the silence. "Nasty, I'm so sorry."

  "You've said that a hundred times already. Like I told you, it wasn't your fault." Natasha gave him her handkerchief since by that time his own was already soaked. 

  "If only there was anything I could have done different." He sobbed.

  "Stop torturing yourself lad. What's done is done. We must go on from here." Ethan added.

  Kieran started to recompose himself. "Thanks."

  Natasha stood up and stared out into the evening sky. She could hear the pounding waves as the wind blew into her red hair that seemed even more fiery thanks to the light of the bonfire. The planet that she had chosen for their vacation seemed so serene, so peaceful. It was all a lie. Danger was everywhere. Fate intervened once again. She could no longer escape it. Her anger boiled and festered within her. She had seen too many people die, too many friends. This time she would set things right.

  Ethan got up from his station and stood by her shoulder. "What do we do?"

  "We go through with the exchange, but on our terms." The Black Widow replied.

  Ethan ran his rough hands along his graying beard. "Natasha, there are only three of us against a whole gang of fanatics. What can we do?"

  "Let's go." The Black Widow announced as she headed to the jeep.

  "Go where?" Ethan asked as Kieran got up to follow.

  Natasha did not reply as she got into the driver's seat and started the ignition. Ethan wanted to protest but when he saw that her eyes had that faraway look that he usually saw in only hardened killers, he let it go and jumped on the back of the vehicle along with Kieran. The Black Widow quickly shifted gears and drove off into the darkness.

  For the next half hour no one said anything and all one could hear was the whine of the engine as Natasha drove it full throttle. After veering off into a copse of trees, the jeep traveled towards the edges of a massive tree line that obscured the base of a hill. Ethan wondered where they were going.

  As they drove into the cover of the trees Ethan opened his mouth in shock. Standing in a small clearing were several crates. But what truly shocked the old prospector was the giant war machine that towered over them. It was an all-black _Warhammer_ battlemech. As soon as the jeep got to the center of the clearing, Natasha stopped and turned off the engine. Kieran quickly got out and began opening several crates. The tree canopy combined with the hill had effectively camouflaged the clearing to prevent anyone from seeing it from either the road or from the air. Ethan got off the jeep in disbelief.

  "I had this rendezvous point set up just in case we ever encountered trouble on this planet." The Black Widow stated.

  "How?" Ethan gasped.

  "It was easy, I paid extra to ship the _Warhammer_ here. Let's just say that I wanted to be prepared in case a few of my enemies decided to drop by on my vacation." Natasha explained.

  "You're gonna need more than just a _Warhammer_ if you want to take on the Covenant." A baritone voice from the edge of the clearing said.

  Kieran froze as Natasha drew her pistol. Ethan grabbed a flashlight and pointed it to where the voice was coming from. A tall man stepped out from the base of a giant oak and walked out into the open. Natasha could see that it was the man who saved her when she was at the bar. It was Casanova.

  "Nice to see you again babe." Casanova smiled as he activated a portable lantern that bathed the whole clearing in illumination.

  "You know this guy?" Kieran asked.

  "Yes I do. He saved my life at the cantina in Rivendell. Hello Casanova; or is it Jimmy?" Natasha answered.

  Casanova laughed. "You can call me Casanova. Your two friends can call me Jimmy."

  "Allow me to introduce my two friends, Kieran and Ethan." Natasha said.

  "Nice to meet you. I hope you can help." Kieran shook Casanova's hand.

  Ethan seemed lost in thought, and then quickly pointed a finger at Casanova. "Jimmy. I know you."

  "Can't say I know you old man. I never seen you before in my life." Casanova answered.

  "Jimmy Clavell. One of Gentleman Johnny's many sons." Ethan replied.

  Both Kieran and Natasha were dumbstruck.

  "How in the hell did you know that you old coot?" Jimmy Clavell asked sarcastically.

  "The clothes, the looks, but most importantly- I have friends in Wolf's Dragoons who told me all about you. You have got quite a reputation; been busted four times for insubordination and drunkenness, thrown out of Zeta Battalion for disobeying direct orders and most importantly, killed a fellow Dragoons officer in a drunken brawl that got you a dishonorable discharge. Quite a story." Ethan chuckled.

  A flash of anger temporarily flashed across Clavell's face but soon disappeared into a sly smile. "Well now, it seems my reputation has preceded me. You don't know the full story old man. So why don't we just keep all this to ourselves okay?"

  "No problem with me." Ethan answered.

  "And me. I don't mind having a former Wolf's Dragoons soldier at my side." Kieran added.

  "How did you know about this place Clavell?" Natasha asked.

  "I didn't. That's why I followed you. I was observing your beach camp and when you started up the jeep, I knew you had to have a rendezvous point."

  "Now that you're here, will you help us?" Ethan asked.

  "You didn't say pretty please. Just kidding. Of course I will. I have a score to settle with that damn cult." Clavell replied nonchalantly.

  "What do you mean by a score?" Natasha queried.

  "One of those damned cultists, the Deacon's son. He killed a friend of mine. Here's my chance to get even." Clavell answered grimly.

  "Look, all I want is to get Duncan back. I don't want to have to take them all." Natasha clarified.

  Clavell smiled. "Won't happen babe. The Covenant are a bunch of fanatics. It's all for one and one for all in their eyes. You gotta take them all down."

  "So be it. What's the composition of their forces?" Natasha decided.

  "Oh about a company of battlemechs, a few armored vehicles, a couple of infantry platoons-" Clavell started.

  "A company of mechs? Oh my God. How are we gonna deal with that?" Kieran asked, dumbfounded.

  That was when everyone looked at the Black Widow. All she did was smile.

  "Ethan, were you able to translate the parchment?" Natasha asked.

  "Sure did. It seems to be a set of directions for a hidden treasure." Ethan replied.

  "So that's what they were after." Kieran added.

  "Ethan, have you done any extensive exploration of that dead city? The one where you met Kieran in?" Natasha inquired.

  "Sure, I was searching that place for years. Got a map where I located pretty much all the booby traps." Ethan responded.

  "Good, I'll need that encoded on my _Warhammer's_ computer. And Clavell, I could use your expertise as well." Natasha stated.

  "What exactly have you got in mind babe? We're gonna be outgunned and not to mention outnumbered no matter what." Clavell intoned.

  "Trust me." The Black Widow countered with a cunning smile as she began to outline her plan to the other three.


	6. Part VI

  As Erebor's blood red sun dawned upon the horizon, an unnatural hush fell over the entire planet. It was almost as if the collective consciousness, the spirit of the woods and the land became quiet in anticipation of that evening. For when dusk would come, it would be the time of _Devil's Night_. 

  The industrial park located on the outskirts of Rivendell was abandoned centuries ago. Once it had been the heart of the metals industry for the planet. Gigantic furnaces would furnish molten steel and then export it to other parts of the Rim Worlds Republic. But that was a long time ago. Now the massive buildings stood vacant, the great iron furnaces were rusting and the great steel mills were still. Such was the curse of Erebor's rebellion and its aftermath.

  As the midday sun grew higher, it seemed a perfectly bright day. The drone of engines soon broke the unnatural calmness. Within moments, several vehicles rumbled down the main road leading into the industrial park. The convoy was led by a _Vedette_ tank that was in turn followed by a _Maultier_ armored personnel carrier and finally several heavy trucks. As the lead tank got to within the center of the street, it stopped. All the other vehicles behind it came to a halt as well.

  The inside the _Maultier's_ infantry compartment was full of people. Aside from a half-dozen black robed guards who watched over Duncan McGavin, the compartment was also carrying the Deacon, his son Erik and the former Death Commando, Yao.

  "We are at the rendezvous point." Erik said as a matter of fact.

  "Well, I for one am glad that this frustrating incident is over. Begin disembarking." The Deacon told the guards. "Cheer up Yao, it will be soon over. Why are you so glum today?"

  Erik glanced at Yao in disgust as he leapt out of the rear door and signaled at the trucks behind them.

  Yao kept fiddling with his communicator. "The advanced team I sent over here last night hasn't answered. I'm getting a lot of static interference."

  "Oh it's probably nothing, there were a lot of electrical storms last night. Come on, let's get this exchange over with so I can get back to my lunch." The Deacon assured him.

  Duncan gave a rude glance to the Deacon as he was led out. "You're just a mean old fat pig."

  "If you were to stay with us a minute longer boy, I would give you a very fitting punishment for your insolence. But you are just a child and you will soon be reunited with your family, so be a good lad and keep quiet till then." The plump Deacon patted the little boy on the cheek as they got out of the _Maultier_.

   As the rest of the men started forming out of the trucks they did not realize that they were being observed by someone on the top floor of an old abandoned office building that was located on the opposite end of the street. The room was strewn with four corpses who had all recently met untimely deaths the night before. They were the advanced team of the Covenant who failed to respond to Yao's radio hails. The first two had died by knife attacks from behind and the other two joined them after being shot by a poisoned needler while they slept. "Casanova" Jimmy Clavell had served a tour with 7th Kommando and he knew the art of the silent kill.

  After Jimmy Clavell made a head count of the opposition using his high-powered binoculars, he keyed his throat mike. "Rifle one to Widow. I have a head count of nine from the APC and another thirty-two from the trucks. Hostage is in sight and is okay."

  "Affirmative Rifle one. Get yourself into position and stand by." A terse female voice answered.

  Clavell smiled to himself as he opened a long steel case. It contained an M824 Sniper Weapon System, the rifle of choice for Wolf's Dragoons' elite 7th Kommando sniper units. Nicknamed the NightOwl, it resembled a twentieth-century assault rifle, albeit with a longer barrel. Many armorers in the Dragoons had customized each and every rifle specifically to the user's needs in order to maximize accuracy and this weapon was no exception. It was a 7.62mm Magnum, select-grade barrel, ES36 long-range scope with laser and an integral JAF-06 flash suppressor all mated to a padded Kevlar stock. Although some of his colleagues in 7th Kommando preferred the use of bolt-action sniper rifles because of its inherent accuracy, Clavell preferred the semi-automatic ones because of its faster rate of fire. With over forty targets down on the street, he needed to be able to fire quickly and accurately.

  Once he determined the range to his targets and dialed it into his telescopic sight, Clavell would then lay down on the foam mattress that he had brought with him. From his vantage point, he had a perfect view of the street below as he set up the rifle on its bipod. Most snipers wore ghillie suits to further conceal themselves but since he was wearing an all-black mechwarrior combat suit, it was a good enough substitute. 

  The cultists, led by the Deacon, began to walk alongside the _Vedette_ tank as it began to rumble down along the main street. The other vehicles followed in a tight line. As they neared the front of a massively tall warehouse, Natasha Kerensky walked out of the building doors and faced them. She wore a jet-black jumpsuit with knee-high boots and a holstered pistol on her side. The cultists stopped about ten meters ahead of her. Erik noticed that there was a red hourglass patch on the right shoulder of her jumpsuit.

  "Lets get this over with shall we?" The Deacon was impatient.

  "Duncan, are you all right?" Natasha asked the little boy.

  "He is fine, now throw the scarab over to us so that we can finish this." The Deacon answered back.

  "We agreed that I will only throw the scarab over to you when the boy starts walking towards me." Natasha added.

  "Oh very well. Get moving boy." The Deacon gave a slight push to Duncan.

  As the little boy started walking towards Natasha, Erik placed one of his hands behind his back so that he could pull out his laser pistol hidden there in case anything went wrong. The turret hatch of the _Vedette_ opened and the tank commander popped out. He started to scan the area with his binoculars, looking for anything suspicious. 

  "Deacon, this all looks too easy." Yao whispered behind the Deacon's left ear.

  "Nonsense. They are just a bunch of kids." The Deacon reassured him.

  Yao spoke into his communicator. "Recon lance, deploy and make your way towards the industrial complex. I'm not going to take any chances, Deacon."

  "Very well, if it makes you feel better. It looks like it's just that woman. You can kill her once we have confirmed that we have the map." The Deacon leaned over his shoulder and whispered back to him.

  Clavell was already readying his rifle to fire. He could have easily placed Erik and the Deacon into his crosshairs and blow their brains out. But his primary objective was to make sure that the little boy would get to Natasha safely. Because of that he targeted the robed cultists closest to the boy. His secondary objective would include any targets of opportunity; that included the Deacon and his son. However, Clavell could not get a bead on the Death Commando, it seemed that the short Capellan anticipated an attack like that and kept his body close to the side of the tank for use as cover. Clavell silently cursed. But at least the tank commander was stupid enough to poke his head out. That would make things easier when all hell broke loose. And it was going to break loose any second now.

  As Duncan got halfway towards Natasha the Deacon hollered. "Now throw us the scarab!"

  Natasha threw the scarab at the cultist's direction. Erik quickly caught it in midair.

  "Well? Open it." The Deacon ordered his son.

  Erik opened the scarab's safety latch and peered inside. The son of the Deacon quickly removed the parchment and began to examine it as Duncan walked briskly towards Natasha while his former captors looked on warily. 

  "It's a fake!" Erik shouted as Natasha signaled Duncan to run faster towards her.

  "Kill them both!" The Deacon commanded.

  As the black robed cultists began to level their weapons, the closest one to Duncan staggered and fell. Blood began to pour from his head as a second robed cultist's head disappeared in a crimson haze.

  "Sniper!" Yao shouted as he grabbed the Deacon and pulled him behind the cover of the _Vedette_. Erik dived for cover as well.

  Clavell was having a field day. His first four shots blew away the respective heads of his targets as Duncan safely made it to Natasha. While his two allies ran towards the warehouse door, Clavell shot down another cultist that tried to shoot at them from behind. As he tried to place a crosshairs on either the Deacon or his son, he realized that the Death Commando had gotten them behind the opposite side of the _Vedette_ tank and so therefore he had no targets. The other cultists behind the tank ran the other way so he couldn't get at them either. As he scanned for more targets in his arc he noticed that the tank commander was using his binoculars and pointing over to the building where he was. He quickly sighted the commander on his crosshairs and fired. The bullet entered just below the commander's left eye and exited at the back of his helmet. The body slumped on top of the tank as its turret traversed and leveled its gun to where he was. Clavell quickly got up and started to run towards the stairwell behind him.

  "Fire!" Yao yelled into his communicator as the _Vedette_ pumped two 50mm shells into the building where the sniper was at; the office building sagged under the blows as the tank continued firing into it. A pillar of smoke soon rose as the building partly collapsed on its side.

  "Deacon, are you alright?" Erik asked as he crawled over to his father's side.

  "Yes, I am fine. Get after those infidels and kill them all." The Deacon cursed.

  Erik stood up. "Get back here you fools! Surround that warehouse!" He commanded to the other cultists.

  "Wait, it could be a trap." Yao advised.

  "I've had enough of your useless games. I am in charge here now." Erik snapped back.

  Within a minute, black robed cultists armed with rifles converged along the front of the warehouse where Natasha and Duncan ran into. They tried the door but it was apparent that it had been locked shut as soon as the two made it safely inside. Two of the cultists prepared a battering ram that they had taken from one of their trucks.

  "What are you waiting for? Smash that door down!" Erik ordered.

  As five of the cultists began bashing the door down with the battering ram, a massive explosion rang out as the door they were battering in exploded outwards and blew them back. Bloody pieces of body parts lay strewn along the dusty road as Yao realized that the woman had apparently placed a bomb on the door and armed it as soon as she got back in.

  "It's a trap! Get them back!" Yao shouted at Erik.

  "No!" Erik hissed. "Get that tank over here!"

  As the _Vedette_ moved into position in order for its gun turret to face the warehouse, a low rumbling noise began. Several of the cultists who were surrounding the warehouse looked at each other in a mixture of terror and confusion. Yao quickly realized what was happening and quickly got to the Deacon and dragged him into a side building. Erik too sensed something was wrong and began to back off towards another building.

  In a split second, the front of the warehouse seemed to sag into itself but then blew outwards into a hail of metal shards as the _Warhammer_ battlemech smashed through its front side. Many cultists were caught in the exploding wall while a few managed to scramble away with minor cuts and bruises but their hearts were mortified with a blinding terror.

  "Stay down, Duncan." Natasha commanded the boy as she opened up her throttle and centered her weapon crosshairs at the _Vedette_ tank that was backing up just meters in front of her.

  Three bluish beams of light emanated from the _Warhammer's_ torsos and struck the turret of the _Vedette_. The medium-sized heavy lasers were of Clan technology and melted the tank's turret into a pool of molten slag. Within seconds the ammunition from the half-melted tank began to explode and caused a brilliant fireworks display in the center of the street.

  Erik was able to dive into a side building as the remaining cultists on the ground began running in all sorts of directions. Their morale was gone upon seeing a gargantuan robot that heaped destruction in its wake. The _Maultier_ APC tried to pick up the Deacon and Yao but ran headlong into the _Warhammer_. The 70-ton battlemech quickly kicked it on its side and the careening hovercraft smashed into a building as she passed it.

  Duncan put on his kid-sized cooling vest and snapped on his seat belt as he lay in the cool storage compartment along the side of Natasha's cockpit. The Black Widow whispered at him to stay there and he acknowledged. She would have loved to start hunting down the Deacon and his son but already her sensors were telling her that other mechs were approaching. Natasha quickly gunned the throttle and made her way north from the industrial park.

  As the ammunition explosion from the Vedette died down, the surviving cult members gathered around as well as marveled at the destruction left behind by the _Warhammer_. It was further proof that the battlemech reigned supreme as the most dominant force on land warfare in the 31st century. The Deacon had a gash on his left arm but was otherwise okay. Yao and Erik were unhurt but many of the black robed guards had perished.

  "The recon lance has arrived." Yao said as a _Dart_ light mech strode onto the center of the street, its paint scheme of swirling velvet marked it as belonging to the Covenant.

  "Deacon, grant me permission to lead the mech company." Erik pleaded to his father.

  The Deacon said nothing. He was contemplating on whether to give his blessing to his son or allow the more experienced Yao to lead.

  Erik's eyes met his father's. "Deacon, if you wish me to be your heir and successor you must grant me this one request. Father- _please_."

  "Very well, you shall lead the company. Do not fail." The Deacon sighed. If his son was to be his ultimate successor, he needed to prove to the men that he could lead.

  "Thank you Deacon. You shall not regret this." Erik's eyes flashed in triumph as he spoke into his communicator. "2nd and 3rd lances, assemble north of the industrial park. I shall be joining you shortly."

  "Wait, I must advise that we exercise extreme caution. That _Warhammer_ looked modified. The missile pack on its shoulder was missing and those did not look like particle projectile cannons on its arms either." Yao warned.

  "It doesn't matter, we are twelve versus one." Erik snapped back; then he spoke into his communicator. "Recon lance, catch up to the _Warhammer_ and soften it up but don't destroy it."

  "No! The Recon lance is only composed of light mechs, the _Warhammer_ is a 70-ton heavy mech. You are committing them to suicide!" Yao protested.

  "Silence! I am in command here now. They need only to wear down the _Warhammer_ till we come finish it off. I don't want any more 'suggestions' from you." Erik sneered.

  As a hover transport stopped and prepared to bring them back to the Citadel, the Deacon took Yao aside. "I have given my son command of this force. Please see to it that no harm comes to him."

  "Your wish is my command Deacon." Yao barely hid his disappointment.

  As the hover transport made its short trip back to the Citadel of the Covenant, Erik was already giving orders for the other two lances to power up and assemble quickly. Since Yao did not have command rights this time, all he did was silently suit up and walked towards his mech. The Deacon slowly walked up the stone stairway to retire to his private chambers.

  Natasha's _Warhammer_ mech was almost halfway towards the dead city of Moria when her radar picked up unidentified mechs closing in at full speed. She quickly realized that they must have been the Covenant's light mechs; due to their fast speed, light mechs could cover the distance to her quickly. But what was so surprising to her was that her opponents were pushing full throttle and that meant that they were not coming in as a team, rather one at a time due to the fact that they wanted to catch up with her at all costs. That was a big mistake.

  As Natasha crested over the top of a hillock and onto the base of a hill, she noticed that two of the light enemy mechs were almost upon her. The Black Widow quickly scanned the area and as she noticed a copse of trees at the base of the hill, she quickly concluded that this was an excellent ambush spot.

  Natasha smiled as she eased her Warhammer into the copse of trees, knelt down and activated her null-signature system. The null-signature was a stealth system designed to mask a mech's presence on the battlefield. With a combination of heat baffles that reduced its infrared signature as well as incorporating a stealthy system of sensors and communications, Natasha could render her _Warhammer_ invisible to opposing sensors in under limited conditions.

  For a short minute the opposing mechs wavered; they had apparently lost the _Warhammer's_ signal the moment it crested the hillock. They then wrongly concluded that the _Warhammer_ picked up speed and was farther away so they maximized their throttles to catch up even faster.

  As the two light mechs crested the top of the hill and made their way down towards the base at full speed, Natasha deactivated the null-signature system and sighted her weapons on the closest light mech. It was a _Jackal_, a fast and well-armed recon mech designed for long range fighting. The other mech was a _Dart_, another light mech designed for scouting.

  The _Jackal_ pilot was completely taken by surprise as Natasha fired her arm-mounted gauss cannons. Essentially an inert metal slug propelled by intense magnetic energy, the gauss cannon was the next step in projectile weapon evolution. The massive magnets of the gauss cannons grabbed onto their respective metal slugs and polarized it. With the intense magnetic fields surrounding them, the massive shells instantly leapt out of the rifled barrel of the _Warhammer's_ arms and impacted at the unsuspecting _Jackal_.

  Both slugs smashed into the fragile center torso of the _Jackal_ and the light mech exploded as both its fusion engine and the PPC capacitor buckled and overloaded from the utter destruction of their casings. As pieces of the _Jackal_ rained down from the sky, the _Dart_ quickly realized its error and rapidly turned, hoping it could get back over the hill before the _Warhammer's_ dual gauss cannons could reset for another volley. But just as the _Dart_ crested going the opposite way, a massive slug from one of Natasha's arm-mounted gauss cannons blasted into the paper-thin rear armor of its center and it too went down as its engine core vaporized into a small fusion explosion. _Two down, ten to go_. Natasha thought.

  The Black Widow quickly reactivated her mech's throttle and continued towards Moria as the remaining two mechs from the Recon lance struggled to catch up. As the black _Warhammer_ made it to the outskirts of the dead metropolis, a red laser bolt streaked passed its shoulder. Natasha quickly rotated her mech's torso and noticed that an enemy _Night Hawk_ was firing at her from extreme range while a _Commando_ was closing in from her flank, trying to get it's short-ranged missile racks to bear.

  _This is too easy. They are coming in dumb._ Natasha thought as she fired her gauss cannon at the _Night Hawk_. Since her gauss cannons were of Clan manufacture, they had a range advantage over the _Night Hawk's_ lasers. The shot from her gauss cannon made a lucky hit, plowing straight into the cockpit section of the _Night Hawk_ and the headless mech dropped to its knees. The _Commando_ would not give up however, firing its missiles wildly at the _Warhammer_ in an attempt to rattle her. Natasha kept her composure as the short-ranged missiles impacted harmlessly in front of her. She sighted the _Commando_ on her crosshairs and fired a single shot from her left gauss cannon that cored the central torso of her opponent. The _Commando_ pilot ejected from his destroyed mech. 

  Before Natasha could favor her victory however, a score of long-ranged missiles impacted the left side of her _Warhammer_, tearing off a few chunks of armor. As the Black Widow turned her battlemech, she saw an intimidating sight of half a dozen mechs being led by a _Grim Reaper _bearing down on her. Knowing that she could ill afford to fight in a set piece battle, the Black Widow quickly activated her null-signature stealth systems and disappeared from her opponents sensors after rounding a street corner.

  "Form up into lances and hunt her down." Erik ordered the others from his _Black Hawk-KU._

  "Wait, I heard stories about this city. There could be booby-traps there." Yao cautioned once again.

  "If you wish to be a coward then stay behind!" Erik shouted in his mech's microphone that was directed at the Capellan. "2nd lance, take the north section of the city; 3rd lance, you're with me."

  Yao kept his composure as he weathered an obvious insult from the Deacon's son. Nevertheless, he would not be goaded into an obvious trap. The former Death Commando quickly activated his mech's throttle and started to make a roundabout route into the city center while the remaining seven mechs formed up and ventured as two separate groups into the ruined metropolis.

  "Looks like the opposition has entered the city. They are headed straight for the trap." Ethan mentioned to Kieran McGavin as the two sat in a jeep behind an alleyway. Ethan was checking readouts on a portable seismic sensor.

  "I just hope those charges we set up would detonate. They are hundreds of years old." Kieran replied.

  "Don't worry, all they need is a small detonation and the rest will explode like a set of dominos." Ethan reassured the youth.

  Because one battlemech could barely fit while moving across it's narrow streets and alleyways, combat between mechs in Moria would be short-ranged and brutal. Tall, abandoned skyscrapers all along the city effectively shielded one block of the street from another. Infantrymen called these tight conditions CQB or close quarters battle. In the case of the dead city, this term applied to battlemechs as well.

  The 3rd Lance of the Covenant moved along one part of the downtown area. Three battlemechs, led by a 70-ton _Gallowglas_, then followed by a _Crusader_ and an _Enforcer_ while Erik's _Black Hawk-Ku_ covered the rear and were moving slowly across an abandoned street when they began to receive strange sensor readings up ahead. The _Gallowglas_ pilot immediately radioed the findings to Erik.

  "Continue to advance." Erik ordered.

  As the _Gallowglas_ moved up several hundred meters, it was immediately engulfed in explosions. The _Crusader_ pilot tried to stop but it too got caught as long-hidden mines tore into their mech's legs, tearing off chunks of armor and damaging the mech's myomer muscles that so enabled those machines to move. As the explosion started spreading towards Erik's mech, he used the jump jets of the _Black Hawk-Ku_ to steer clear of the street and was therefore able to prevent significant damage to his legs. The _Gallowglas_ lost a foot and when it tried to prop itself up on it's arm, then a secondary explosion followed as the _Gallowglas_' arm was sheared off by another vibramine explosion. Being unable to move any further, the _Gallowglas_ pilot abandoned his mech. The _Enforcer_ pilot also managed to extricate himself by backing up quickly on full-reverse throttle.

  "The _Gallowglas_ is down and I have taken significant damage to my legs." The _Crusader_ pilot reported to Erik.

  "Dammit! Keep your sensors focused on the streets ahead of you!" Erik yelled. There wasn't much he could do.

  "My legs will not survive another mine attack." The _Crusader_ pilot concluded.

  "Then stay there you fool!" Erik snapped. "2nd lance, I have lost one mech and another is damaged, can you rendezvous to our position?" 

  "I have your coordinates on my map sir. Stand by. We are on our way." It was the pilot of the _Grim Reaper_ who was commanding the second lance that answered.

  As the Covenant's second mech lance started to move down a city street to meet up with the battered third lance, a black _Warhammer_ appeared in front of them at an intersection several hundred meters ahead.

  "Welcome to my web." The Black Widow announced as she triggered her mech's twin gauss cannons.

  The lead battlemech was the _Grim Reaper_ and it tried to back off in order to give its long-range missile racks more room but collided with the second mech behind it. Chunks of armor flew off the back of the _Grim Reaper_ as it smashed into an _Enfield_ that was following it. The gauss slugs of Natasha's _Warhammer_ plowed into the right torso and arm of the _Grim Reaper_. Although the _Reaper's_ armor absorbed the shots, it was staggered from the massive blows that caused its extended-ranged large laser to miss. The Black Widow quickly followed up the gauss cannons with her mech's medium-ranged heavy lasers. Bluish light once again erupted from the Warhammer's torso and slashed into the _Grim Reaper_. Whole sheets of the _Reaper's_ armor melted off and exposed it's inner torsos but the pilot was able to pepper Natasha's mech with a return volley of long-ranged missiles that tore into her frontal armor although not enough to cause serious damage. For in addition to upgrading her mech's weapons, Natasha added extra armor as well. It saved her so far.

  A 50-ton _Starslayer_ which brought up the rear immediately activated its jump jets and landed right in front of the battered _Grim Reaper_ and started running towards Natasha's _Warhammer_, hoping to get its large lasers and short-ranged missile racks into play. The Black Widow quickly put her mech into reverse because she knew that the _Starslayer's_ weapons were effective at shorter ranges. As the _Starslayer_ got close, it was instantly engulfed by explosions that tore off its legs and sent the mech crashing down; it had apparently run into another set of vibramines. Natasha instantly fired her heavy lasers into the _Starslayer's_ exposed rear torsos and the intense beams sliced through the paper-thin rear armor and into the engine housing. The pilot of the _Starslayer_ ejected as his engine core dropped and created a miniature fusion meltdown.

  The _Grim Reaper_, however, would not give up as a few of its missiles once again impacted on Natasha's _Warhammer_. Although her mech still carried a respectable amount of armor, she knew it would not take this kind of punishment for long. With that in mind, she quickly fired another volley of gauss slugs that finally gutted the _Reaper_ and detonated its ammo bins. As the ensuing explosions tore her opponent apart, Natasha scanned around for the _Enfield_. It apparently reversed back into another street.

  A split second later, Natasha's fears came to life as a building behind her collapsed and the _Enfield_ strode through; it had apparently took to a parallel street and smashed through an opposing building just to get at her. The Black Widow was just barely able to twist her mech's torso in time as the _Enfield's_ lasers melted off armor on her _Warhammer's_ side and legs. As the _Enfield_ strode even closer, it was suddenly staggered by the blow from Natasha's heavy lasers; chunks of armor melted off from her opponent. The Black Widow needed to end it quickly and swung her mech's arms into a vise-like grip that smashed into the _Enfield's_ shoulders. Before the _Enfield_ pilot could react, Natasha used her controls to make a series of wicked kicks to her opponent's mech and rapidly withdrew her _Warhammer_ as the smashed-up _Enfield_ collapsed on the concrete street. The Black Widow breathed a sigh of relief but she knew the battle wasn't over yet.

  As she maneuvered her _Warhammer_ away from the carnage on the street, Natasha quickly spotted a new contact directly in front of her. As the Black Widow pivoted her mech, she came face to face with a 70-ton _Nova Cat_ heavy mech that was emblazoned with a skull on its center.

  "Black Widow, you have dishonored my master for the final time. Prepare to face your destiny." Yao spoke over the _Nova Cat's_ microphone.

  "Talk is cheap." Natasha replied as she triggered her arm-mounted gauss cannons.

  Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, the _Crusader_ pilot accessed the damage on his mech; his computer readings showed that he had paper-thin armor on his legs and one of his mech's feet was not functioning properly. As he played with the _Crusader's_ controls to make it come back on line, he noticed that there was a contact heading directly for him. Thinking it would be Erik's _Black Hawk-KU_ making a rendezvous with him, the pilot gave it no mind until the mech appeared in front of him. As he momentarily glanced at it, the _Crusader_ pilot cried out in fear and utter disbelief; just several hundred meters from his mech stood a solid-black _Mad Cat Mk II_.

  "Howdy." Jimmy Clavell said as he opened fire with a barrage of dual gauss cannons and missiles at the totally surprised _Crusader_. 

  The 90-ton _Mad Cat Mk II_ was a Clan assault mech that centered on two arm-mounted gauss cannons backed up by two batteries of long-ranged missiles in addition to its extended-ranged medium lasers. As the _Crusader_ tried desperately to move, it was quickly hit in the arms and torsos by a massive barrage of two 120mm gauss slugs followed by almost two-dozen missiles. As the smoke cleared, the battered _Crusader_ had fallen to its knees. Clavell waited a few seconds until his weapons cycled back to fire again and then poured another volley of murderous gauss slugs and missiles into the hapless enemy mech. This time, the _Crusader's_ armor gave out and it collapsed into several pieces onto the street.

  As Clavell chuckled to himself he felt a sharp pain in his buttocks. He had taken a few shrapnel hits when the building he was in exploded all around him. The back of his mechwarrior combat suit was shredded but it did save his life. Next time he would think twice about going up against a tank while armed only with a sniper rifle.

  Just as the pain was distracting him, Clavell noticed a large shape right above him and reacted by reversing his _Mad Cat Mk II's_ throttle. He did it just in time as a 50-ton _Enforcer_ mech smashed into the ground where his mech was previously located. If it were not for his quick thinking, the _Enforcer's_ jump attack would have smashed into his mech's cockpit, killing him. Clavell spat out a curse as he fired his dual gauss cannons point-blank range and toggled off his long-ranged missile's tracking mode in order to enable it to fire up close. The massive gauss slugs shredded both the _Enforcer's_ arms but it kept its composure. Clavell cursed again as the _Enforcer_ leveled a bone-jarring kick into his mech's torso and smashed off chunks of his armor. The former Wolf's Dragoon had finally lost his temper.

  "Nobody ruins the paint job on my mech!" Clavell screamed as he fired up his battlemech's jump jets and shot straight up.

  As the _Enforcer_ looked up in surprise, the _Mad Cat Mk II_ fired all of its weapons as it came crashing back down to smash into it. When the smoke cleared, all that was left of the _Enforcer_ was a smoldering pile of metal as the _Mad Cat Mk II_ walked on by.

  Erik had seen all of his forces smashed and was rushing back towards the _Crusader_ when he saw a _Mad Cat Mk II_ demolishing his lance. By the time he had arrived, both the _Crusader_ and the _Enforcer_ were down. The man who was to be the heir to the Deacon's empire cried out in frustration and fury as he noticed the _Mad Cat Mk II_ maneuvering in front of him.

  "Die infidel!" Erik screamed as he activated the _Black Hawk-KU's_ jump jets in order to close in.

  Both the _Black Hawk-KU_ and the _Mad Cat Mk II_ fired simultaneously. Although the _Mad Cat Mk II_ had heavier weapons, the pulse lasers of the _Black Hawk_ were more accurate and scored hits in the upper part of Clavell's mech, including the cockpit. Erik's _Black Hawk-KU_ had sustained moderate damage on its legs and torsos but it was still fully functional. As the son of the Deacon noticed that the _Mad Cat Mk II_ moved sluggishly, he correctly assumed that it took a shot in the cockpit causing a neuro-feedback that stunned the pilot. He had his chance.

  As Clavell's nose began to bleed from the massive electronic feedback when his mech took a laser shot in the cockpit, he barely had time to react as the enemy _Black Hawk-KU_ closed in and began firing its pulse lasers indiscriminately at his mech, hoping to bring it down quickly. Clavell cursed again as he tried to get his bearings as alarms sounded all over his cockpit, disorientating him even more.

  Erik's heat scale became quite dangerous as he continued the barrage of his pulse lasers against the _Mad Cat Mk II_ but he really had no choice; the opposing mech outgunned him and he needed to bring it down quickly. He kept moving his _Black Hawk-KU_ ever forward as the _Mad Cat's_ armor began to melt under the increasing barrage of laser fire being directed at it.

  Clavell almost pulled the ejection cord above his seat as his mech sensors warned him of an armor breach in its torso. But a split-second decision made him swing around his _Mad Cat Mk II_ to face his opponent and then he toggled the switch for his jump jets.

  Erik's apparent triumph turned into a rude shock as the _Mad Cat Mk II_ faced him and fired its jump jets, causing both mechs to smash into each other. Chips of armor flew off the _Black Hawk-KU_ as it fell down with the smoldering front of the _Mad Cat Mk II_ on top, punching and kicking wildly. As Erik tried to bring up his arm to fire at the enemy's cockpit, he noticed that the _Mad Cat's_ right foot was directly above his own.  The spike-haired youth let out a cry for mercy.

  "Say goodnight gracie." Clavell hissed as he brought the _Mad Cat's_ foot down and smashed into Erik's cockpit.

  As that battle ended, another was reaching its climax as the Black Widow and the former Death Commando squared off. Unlike the previous battle both mechs preferred to fight at a distance so it therefore became a running fight across several city blocks as both mechs would circle and fire at each other; occasionally one mech would get the advantage of position while its opponent would scramble for cover. The advantage however, lay with Yao, for his _Nova Cat_ was in better shape when it entered the battle and his primary weapons were extended ranged particle projectile cannons. While Natasha held an advantage in having less heat, her gauss cannons were almost empty.

  As Natasha's _Warhammer_ rounded another street corner, she realized that she was in danger of losing the battle for her mech's armor was shredded from the _Nova Cat's_ constant energy barrage. Her _Warhammer's_ left arm hung limply on it's severely damaged shoulder and she had only one shot left with her right arm-mounted gauss cannon. She needed to make this one count.

  "Duncan, you need to get out." Natasha called to the little boy who was curled inside her cold storage cabinet.

  "No, Nasty. I wanna stay with you. No matter what happens." Duncan replied with determination.

  "No arguments Duncan. Out now." Natasha commanded but the boy stayed where he was.

  The Black Widow cursed as the _Nova Cat_ came into view once again; it fired its arm-mounted PPCs, narrowly missing with one and the other beam pounded into her mech's right leg. The _Warhammer_ was heavily damaged and couldn't take any more as it returned fire with its heavy lasers, scorching the torsos of the opposing mech. Natasha tried to concentrate on her controls as Duncan reached up and grabbed a microphone from the cockpit.

  "Hey Mister Yao. It's me Duncan. Please stop shooting at us." The boy spoke through the microphone.

  Yao suddenly leaned back from his chair, stunned. He didn't realize that the boy was inside the cockpit of the _Warhammer_. "You must get out of there, boy. I don't want to hurt you but I must destroy your friend."

  "I won't let you!" Duncan shouted back. "If you want to kill her, you're gonna have to kill me too mister!"

  Natasha was surprised at what the little boy did. At least it gave her some time as she targeted her last gauss cannon shot.

  As the _Nova Cat_ moved slowly towards the wounded _Warhammer_, Clavell's _Mad Cat Mk II _smashed through a building behind the _Nova Cat_ and fired its gauss cannons, shredding Yao's mech armor from behind.

 "What the?" Yao cursed.

  "You're all clear babe, now smash this thing so we can all go home!" Clavell said as he fired a barrage of missiles into the pivoting _Nova Cat_.

  Natasha took careful aim and fired. The gauss slug sliced into the _Nova Cat's_ cockpit and the headless mech fell over on its side.

  As Natasha helped Duncan get down from her mech, Jimmy Clavell limped over. Duncan quickly saw the jeep with Ethan and Kieran pull up along the curb and ran over to meet them.

  "That was a one in a million shot, babe." Clavell smiled.

  Natasha smirked. "Well, you and Duncan did provide the diversion so it wasn't so hard. So what are you going to do now that you've avenged your friend?"

  "Oh I lied about my friend being killed by Erik, he was way too incompetent to kill any of my friends." Clavell laughed.

  "So why did you help us?" The Black Widow asked quizzically.

  "I had nothing better to do. And it was fun." Clavell replied as Natasha shook her head.

  Ethan ran over along with the McGavin brothers. Duncan began to ask a thousand questions to Clavell as the former Wolf's Dragoon promised to show the little boy the inside of his mech. Kieran hugged Natasha and then joined up with Clavell to pester him.

  "Well, with the treasure and the salvage you've gotten here today, I estimate you could equip your own mech company, Natasha." Ethan said to her.

  "A mercenary company? I don't know." Natasha replied wistfully.

  "How about the Black Widow Company?" Ethan joked as he started appraising the salvage.

  Natasha stood there silently. Deep in her heart, she wanted to lead. Her skills and experience beckoned it. Or would she still fight against her destiny and go live a quiet life in peace? That was a question to be answered in another time for she was tired right now. She needed a long sleep. That was all she could think of. As she started walking back to her _Warhammer_, Duncan came up to her and gave the Black Widow a big hug.

  "Thanks Nasty." The little boy whispered in her ear.

  Natasha patted the boy's blond head. "No problem Duncan. I hope you are okay." 

  "I'm fine!" The little boy giggled. "It was cool! Can we do it again?"

  "What?"


	7. Epilogue

  As the sun finally set upon the world of Erebor, the people began to celebrate the pagan ritual of Devil's Night. Men and women were out in the streets, beating drums and slurring drunken half-baked incantations to ward off the evil spirits. The Citadel of the Covenant however, was somber. Its power was broken and many followers had already abandoned it. Only a few die-hard apostles remained.

  In the dining room, the Deacon ate sparingly. Normally he would swallow great amounts of food because his enormously grotesque body demanded it, but this night, he was drowning in his last cup of sorrow. His son and heir was dead, his forces destroyed. How he wanted to swear revenge against the accursed Black Widow. But as he raised his cup for another draught of wine, all the hatred and frustration within him had left. And he felt all the richer because of it.

  As the fat Deacon put down his cup, the cloaked figure sitting opposite him leaned over. The man was attired in the accruements of a tomb; his black cloak covered his body like a giant bat. A brown leathery mask shaped like a skull seemingly covered the man's face.

  "I must say Deacon, I am quite disappointed in you." The cloaked man said.

  "I'm sorry my Lord." The Deacon replied.

  "I had provided you with money and battlemechs and now it is all gone." The strangely accented voice explained.

  "It shall not happen again my Lord." The Deacon said.

  "I'm quite sure it won't." The cloaked man said as a matter of fact.

  At that instant, a young, dark-haired man slipped behind the Deacon's chair and in a blur, wrapped a garotte around his throat. The garotte was essentially a wire used by assassins, made up of industrial strands with diamonds imbedded among them. If the victim managed to raise a hand to stop the garotte from touching his throat, the assailant can use the edge of the diamonds to cut through the target's fingers. But in this case, it wasn't necessary.

  The Deacon gagged as the man behind him applied enormous pressure in wrapping the garotte tighter around his plump neckline. The deacon's eyes bulged out like that of a goldfish. A few moments later, the Deacon slumped onto his chair; drops of bile began to ooze out from the dead man's throat.

  "Well done, Joshua. That was excellent, he never even saw you coming." The cloaked man intoned.

  "Thank you, my Lord." The man named Joshua replied.

  "You shall be my most powerful creation yet, Joshua."

  "I am humbled by your faith in me, Lord." Joshua responded as his communicator rang. He pulled it out and answered it.

  "Well?" The cloaked man asked Joshua after the younger man finished answering his communicator.

  "A message from Precentor Blane thanking us for the latest shipment of nuclear weapons." Joshua answered. 

  "Ah yes. I think we will need to accelerate our future shipments to the Word of Blake. All the time I was expecting to grow the cult of the Covenant into something that would destroy the Inner-Sphere and instead my answer is staring right back at me."

  "You mean the Blakists?" Joshua asked.

  "Yes, the Word of Blake will do our job for us." The cloaked man laughed out loud.

  Some of the servants in the Covenant who heard that laugh would later tell their descendants that it was the laugh of the devil that night. And in many ways it later turned out to be true.  


End file.
